A sensor includes an inner channel with: a first portion; a second portion in communication with the first portion; a storage zone in communication with the first portion; a baffle plate extending inside the first portion; the first portion and the baffle plate being sized such that, in an air stream entering the sensor through a first, open end of the first portion and containing first particles with a diameter of 10 μm or less and second particles with a diameter of more than 10 μm, the first particles reach the second portion of the inner channel while the second particles reach the storage zone.
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1. A sensor for measuring in real time the concentration of particles in air, the sensor comprising an inner channel having:
a first portion comprising a side wall extending between a first open end and a second closed end, the first open end extending along an inlet plane;
a second portion communicating with the first portion via a first opening in the side wall of the first portion, the first opening being adjacent to the first open end;
a storage zone communicating with the first portion via a second opening in the side wall of the first portion, the second opening being adjacent to the second closed end; the first and second openings being arranged on either side of the side wall; #10#
a baffle plate fixed to a junction between the first open end of the first portion and the second portion, the baffle plate extending inside the first portion and forming with a first direction normal to the inlet plane an angle α such that:
0°<α<90° the baffle plate, the first portion and the first and second openings being dimensioned in such a way that in an air stream entering into the sensor through the first open end and comprising first particles of diameter less than or equal to 10 μm and second particles of diameter greater than 10 μm, the first particles are deflected by the baffle plate, pass through the first opening and arrive in the second portion of the inner channel whereas the second particles are deflected by the baffle plate impacted by a part of the side wall forming an impaction plate, pass through the second opening and arrive in the storage zone.
2. The sensor according to
3. The sensor according to
4. The sensor according to
5. The sensor according to
the second portion of the inner channel has a folded back shape, and
the upstream zone of the inner channel has an inclined portion widening between the first end of the inner channel and the detection zone,
the inclined portion forming an angle β, measured with respect to the vertical, such that: 60°≤β≤80°, and
#10# the inclined portion widening by 150 μm2 to 300 μm2 per mm of length.6. The sensor according to
7. The sensor according to
8. The sensor according to
the second portion has a first open end which communicates with the first portion and a second open end; a detection zone; an upstream zone between the first end and the detection zone; and a downstream zone between the detection zone and the second end;
the second portion has a folded back shape with a first rectilinear branch connected to a second rectilinear branch by a link substantially perpendicular to the first and second rectilinear branches, in such a way that the upstream zone comprises the first rectilinear branch, the downstream zone comprises the second rectilinear branch and the detection zone is found in the link between the first and second rectilinear branches.
9. The sensor according
10. The sensor according to
the second portion has a first open end which communicates with the first portion and a second open end; a detection zone; an upstream zone between the first end and the detection zone; and a downstream zone between the detection zone and the second end; and
the upstream zone of the second portion comprises a laminarisation element, which comprises at least one plate projecting radially from a side wall of the second portion, said at least one plate having a height H measured radially and of which the ratio over the total height Ht measured radially between the side wall and the centre of the section is such that: 10%≤H/Ht≤100%.
11. The sensor according to
a light source configured to emit light radiation in a direction of propagation the light radiation being focused in the detection zone of the inner channel;
a first photodetector configured to capture a first scattering signal emitted by particles traversing the detection zone in a first direction forming a first non-zero angle with the direction of propagation of the light radiation;
a second photodetector configured to capture a second scattering signal emitted by particles traversing the detection zone in second direction forming a second non-zero angle with the direction of propagation of the light radiation, the second angle being different from the first angle and the first and second angles not being supplementary; #10#
a light trap configured to receive the light radiation at the outlet of the detection zone so as to prevent parasitic return of the light radiation to the detection zone.
12. The sensor according to
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This application is the U.S. National Stage of PCT/EP2018/063018, filed May 17, 2018, which in turn claims priority to French Patent Application No. 1754366 filed May 17, 2017, the entire contents of all applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The technical field of the invention is that of atmospheric pollution sensors. The present invention relates to a sensor for measuring the concentration of particles in air, not only in a confined, interior environment but also in an exterior environment, in the open air.
Air quality is an essential parameter to ensure a good quality of life, notably in towns and cities and in urban agglomerations. Among the causes of atmospheric pollution, particles of several μm of diameter are particularly hazardous for human health. These particles are produced to a large extent by human activities linked to industry and transport. They are responsible for health risks such as the alteration of pulmonary functions and can lead to a decrease in life expectancy.
With intense atmospheric pollution episodes becoming more and more frequent, institutions have to put in place solutions for countering these phenomena. These solutions require real time monitoring of the atmospheric concentration of particulate matter. The need to deploy a dense network of sensors is increasingly felt.
Particulate matter (PM) are particles having an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm; they are not retained by the upper respiratory tracts (nose, mouth) and are thus “breathable”. Particulate matter PM are often classified according to their size. The term PM10 is used for particles having an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm; PM2.5 for particles of aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm and PM1 for particles of aerodynamic diameter less than 1 μm. The aerodynamic diameter of a particle is an equivalent value used to describe the aeraulic behaviour of particles in a gas stream such as an air stream. The aerodynamic diameter of a particle is defined as being the diameter of a sphere of unit density (1 g/cm3) and having the same terminal fall velocity as said particle in a fluid at rest. In the remainder of the present application, the terms “aerodynamic diameter of a particle” and “diameter of a particle” are used indifferently.
Today, two methods for measuring particles are mainly used:
The simplest gravimetric devices operate by impaction of the particles on a filter which is next weighed. These devices have good size selectivity and are relatively inexpensive but they do not enable real time monitoring of particulate concentration.
Beta gauge systems are based on an electron absorption technique. These systems have the advantage of being very reliable but, in addition to their high cost, they require a radioactive source, which can reduce their portability.
TEOM® (Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance) gravimetric systems use a microbalance and are employed for regulatory monitoring in certain countries. These systems enable real time monitoring of particulate concentration but they do not enable good selectivity and remain relatively expensive.
Devices exploiting optical techniques are compact, portable and they enable particle size selectivity. These devices are more suited to providing real time information to individuals but suffer from significant drift linked to clogging: they thus require regular maintenance and cleaning, which can prove to be costly and/or difficult.
The invention offers a solution to the aforementioned problems by making it possible to measure in real time the concentration of particles in air with a device that is at the same time compact, portable and size selective for the particles, while not requiring any maintenance or cleaning.
An aspect of the invention concerns a sensor for measuring in real time the concentration of particles in air characterised in that it comprises an inner channel having:
Thanks to the invention, the inner channel of the sensor ensures at the inlet a filter function: only the first particles penetrate into the second portion of the inner channel to be detected later, whereas the second particles are deflected into a storage zone. The first and second particles, of different sizes, are in fact of different masses and thus inertias, which is why they do not follow the same fluidic path. This thereby avoids clogging of the second portion of the inner channel by the second particles, which would lead to a drift in the response of the sensor and the measurement artefacts. Since no measurement is carried out in the storage zone, its clogging by the second particles is not problematic.
Apart from the characteristics that have been mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the sensor according to an aspect of the invention may have one or more complementary characteristics among the following, considered individually or according to all technically possible combinations thereof:
This thus provides information on the difference in scattered light intensity, between the first scattering signal emitted in the first direction and the second scattering signal emitted in the second direction, which makes it possible to increase precision on information on the granulometry of the particles that traverse the detection zone and thus to increase the precision of the sensor according to an aspect of the invention. Indeed, two particles of different sizes each have a distinct angular scattering.
The invention and its different applications will be better understood on reading the description that follows and by examining the figures that accompany it.
The figures are presented for indicative purposes and in no way limit the invention.
Unless stated otherwise, a same element appearing in the different figures has a single reference.
The figures are defined in an orthogonal coordinates system of axes {right arrow over (x)}, {right arrow over (y)}, {right arrow over (z)}.
The sensor 1 comprises an inner channel 10 having:
The first and second openings 105, 107, arranged on either side of the side wall 103, are not opposite each other, that is to say that any plane of axes {right arrow over (x)}, {right arrow over (y)} and passing through the first opening 105 does not pass through the second opening 107, and vice versa. There exists preferentially a portion of side wall 103 of a length L at least equal to 2 mm between the first and second openings 105, 107. “The first and second openings 105, 107 are arranged on either side of the side wall 103” is taken to mean the fact that:
A part of the side wall 103 is an impaction plate 103-i: it is the part of the side wall 103 that is arranged on the side of the first opening 105, in the first half-space. The impaction plate 103-i is arranged on the side of the first opening 105.
In the particular example which is illustrated in
In the particular example which is illustrated in
Advantageously, the first portion 100 is of circular section and the sensor 1 comprises an integrated adaptor piece Pa, projecting from the sensor 1 at the level of the first open end 101 of the first portion 100, so as to offer a prolongation of the first portion 100. This configuration is illustrated in
First, second and third flow surfaces S1, S2, S3 are represented in
The ratio S2/S1 of the second surface S2 over the first surface S1 is advantageously such that:
Preferentially such that:
And even more preferentially such that:
The filter function at the inlet of the inner channel 10 of the sensor 1 is thus optimised.
According to a particular example, the first surface S1 has a surface area of 50 mm2 and the second surface S2 has a surface area of 30 mm2, i.e. a ratio S2/S1 of 60%.
The cut off diameter d, that is to say the aerodynamic diameter such that 50% of the particles of this diameter arrive in the second portion 110 of the inner channel and 50% do not arrive therein, may be estimated by the following formula:
where d is expressed in μm; k is a constant expressed in μm·s·rad; u is the velocity of the air stream passing through the third surface S3; l is the length of the baffle plate 130 expressed in m; α is the angle expressed in rad that the baffle plate 130 forms with the first direction D1; ρ is the density of the considered particles:
The reference density is 1 g/cm3.
The angle α, illustrated in particular in
15°≤α≤75°
The angle α is more preferentially such that:
15°≤α≤45°
The angle α is even more preferentially such that:
25°≤α≤35°
For an angle α of 30°, a baffle plate 130 of length l=4 mm and a velocity u of the air stream passing through the third surface S3 of 5 m/s:
The smaller the cut off diameter d, the smaller the diameter of the particles that actually arrive in the second portion 110. It is observed that the density of the particles has an important influence on the results.
The storage zone 120 advantageously has a volume comprised between 0.5 mL and 5 mL. This makes it possible to guarantee a sufficient maintenance-free lifetime of the sensor 1, that is to say greater than 10,000 hours in environments highly polluted with particulate matter. It is considered that an environment is highly polluted with particulate matter when it comprises on average at least 250 μg/m3 of particulate matter. At the same time, the cumulative volume of the first portion 100 of the inner channel and the storage zone 120 is advantageously less than 10 mL. This makes it possible to limit the size of the sensor 1, and thus its bulk and its mass.
The second portion 110 of the inner channel has a first open end 111 which communicates with the first portion 100 of the inner channel, and the second open end 112. The second portion 110 of the inner channel comprises a detection zone 115, an upstream zone 114 between the first end 111 and the detection zone 115, and a downstream zone 116 between the detection zone 115 and the second end 112.
In order to improve the compactness of the sensor 1, the second portion 110 of the inner channel advantageously has a folded back shape, with a first rectilinear branch Br1 connected to a second rectilinear branch Br2 by a link substantially perpendicular to the first and second rectilinear branches Br1, Br2. The first and second rectilinear branches Br1, Br2 may be parallel with each other but are not necessarily parallel with each other. The upstream zone 114 comprises the first rectilinear branch Br1, the downstream zone 116 comprises the second rectilinear branch Br2 and the detection zone 115 is found in the link between the first and second rectilinear branches Br1, Br2. Another advantage of the folded back shape is to move the detection zone 115 away from the inlet 101 and from the outlet 112 of the inner channel in order to limit the risk of external parasitic light in the detection zone 115. The folded back shape illustrated in
The upstream zone 114 may further comprise at least one portion having an S shape with a first bend C1 and a second bend C2, and illustrated in
At the same time, the geometry and the dimensioning of the upstream zone 114 are advantageously chosen in such a way that an air stream perturbed by the first portion 100 of the inner channel and entering into the second portion 110 of the inner channel is laminar and with a homogeneous velocity when it arrives at the level of the detection zone 115. It is considered that the air stream has a homogeneous velocity in the detection zone 115 when at each point of a section of the detection zone, the velocity v along the axis y perpendicular to said section is such that:
0.8×υm≤υ≤1.2×υm
with vm the average velocity in said section.
To do so, the upstream zone 114 of the inner channel has a widening inclined portion while connecting a first horizontal plane H1, along which the first end 111 of the inner channel extends substantially, to a second horizontal plane H2, along which the inner channel extends substantially between its detection zone 115 and its second end 112. The inclination β of this portion, measured with respect to the vertical, is such that:
60°≤β≤80°
The widening of the inclined portion of the upstream zone 114 of the inner channel is comprised between 150 and 300 μm2 per mm length along the axis {right arrow over (x)}. The inclined portion that has been described is illustrated in particular in relation with the first embodiment of
The upstream zone 114 of the inner channel may also have a laminarisation element, projecting from at least one side wall of the second portion 110 and extending along the direction along which extends the inner channel 10 at each point and along which an air stream is made to circulate. The laminarisation element is thus rectilinear if it is found in a rectilinear part of the second portion 110, curved if it is found in a bent portion of the second portion. The laminarisation element may be in one piece or comprise several distinct parts, thus in the example of
Generally speaking, the laminarisation element comprises at least one plate projecting from the side wall represented in dotted lines and oriented radially with respect to the direction Dc (which corresponds to the direction normal to the plane of the sheet and passing through the centre of each geometry of section), said at least one plate having a height H (referenced in
According to the example of
According to the example of
According to the example of
The sensor 1 preferentially comprises a device 20 for circulating an air stream in the inner channel 10, referenced in
The optical detection system of the sensor 1 comprises:
This thus provides information on the difference in scattered light intensity, between the first scattering signal emitted in the first direction and the second scattering signal emitted in the second direction, which makes it possible to increase precision on information on the granulometry of the particles that traverse the detection zone and thus increase the precision of the sensor 1. Indeed, two particles of different sizes each have a distinct angular scattering.
The light source 30 is preferentially a laser source, and in particular a laser source of laser diode type. Alternatively, the light source 30 may be a light emitting diode, or LED. The focusing of the light radiation in the detection zone is obtained by a focusing optic. The light radiation emitted by the light source 30 preferentially has a power comprised between 1 mW and 20 mW, more preferentially a power comprised between 1 mW and 10 mW, even more preferentially a power comprised between 1 mW and 5 mW. The light radiation emitted by the light source 30 has for example a light radiation of 2 mW. The light source 30 can emit visible light radiation, that is to say of wavelength comprised in the interval [400 nm; 700 nm], or instead near infrared radiation, that is to say of wavelength comprised in the interval [700 nm; 900 nm]. To increase the metrological performances of the sensor in accordance with the Mie theory, visible light radiation of low wavelength, that is to say of wavelength comprised in the interval [400 nm; 500 nm], is the most efficient. However, a good performance-cost compromise is in particular obtained with visible radiation of wavelength comprised in the interval [600 nm; 700 nm], and more specifically of wavelength comprised in the interval [630 nm; 670 nm].
The first and second photodetectors 40, 50 are preferentially photodiodes. Alternatively, the first and second photodetectors 40, 50 could be photomultipliers. Compared to photomultipliers, photodiodes have the advantage of being cheaper and simpler to implement in miniature systems. Each of the first and second photodetectors 40, 50 has an active surface and a detection cone of axis normal to its active surface.
The light trap 60 comprises a wall 61 and a cavity 62, the wall 61 being oriented, with respect to the direction of propagation Dp, so as to deflect light radiation towards the cavity 62. The wall 61 and the cavity 62 are advantageously black so as to maximise absorption of incident light radiation. Advantageously, the wall 61 is smooth whereas the cavity 62 is rough. “Smooth surface” is taken to mean a surface having an arithmetic mean roughness Ra such that:
Ra<0.1 μm
“Rough surface” is taken to mean a surface having an arithmetic mean roughness Ra such that:
Ra>10 μm
The arithmetic mean roughness Ra is the standard deviation of surface asperities of the considered surface, such as defined in the ISO 4287 Standard.
The difference Δθ between the first and second angles θ1, θ2 is preferentially chosen in such a way that:
where:
For a given configuration of the first and second photodetectors with respect to the detection zone and for a given wavelength of light radiation, the greater the power of the light source, the smaller the difference Δθ between the first and second angles θ1, θ2. Generally speaking, a difference Δθ of at least 5° and preferentially of at least 15° is chosen between the first and second angles θ1, θ2.
In the particular example of
θ1=45°
and the second angle θ2 between the direction of propagation Dp and the second direction D2 is such that:
θ2=90°
The difference Δθ between the first and second angles θ1, θ2 is thus 45°.
Furthermore, the first and second directions D1, D2 are preferentially chosen in such a way that:
In the particular example of
Still in the particular example of
The heating device advantageously enables control of the hygrometry of the particles of the air stream in order to be free of external atmospheric conditions. Indeed, certain types of particles swell significantly under the effect of humidity, which is liable, by modifying the size of the particles, to falsify the measurements. By controlling the hygrometry of the air stream, the precision of the sensor 1 is thus improved.
The Joule effect heating element is preferentially a resistance or alternatively a linear regulator.
The heating device preferentially comprises a plurality of Joule effect heating elements in series, said plurality being arranged on a wall of the inner channel upstream of the detection zone. This has the advantage of using a plurality of heating elements of smaller dimensions, rather than a single heating element of greater dimensions, and thus of minimising the mechanical perturbation of the air stream within the inner channel 10. In the particular example of
Thanks to the at least one Joule effect heating element, the temperature of the air stream arriving in the detection zone is preferentially 3° C. to 10° C. higher than the temperature of the air stream entering into the sensor 1. This difference in temperature is sufficient to guarantee an absence of growth factor of the particles present in the air stream.
The sensor 1 preferentially comprises a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor and the at least one Joule effect heating element is preferentially enslaved as a function of a first temperature measurement and a second humidity measurement of the air stream in the sensor 1. The first temperature measurement and the second humidity measurement of the air stream may for example be carried out at the inlet or at the outlet of the inner channel 10 of the sensor 1, or at any intermediate point of the inner channel 10. An adaptation is thereby made to the external atmospheric conditions in order to improve the precision of the sensor while optimising its energy consumption.
The sensor 1 according to an aspect of the invention advantageously ensures at one and the same time the fluidic filter, optical detector and thermal control functions described previously, but the sensor 1 according to an aspect of the invention may alternatively only ensure one or two of these three functions, according to all possible combinations:
The sensor 1 preferentially comprises a calculator and a storage memory in order to perform all or part of the following functions:
The calculator is for example a microcontroller or a microprocessor. The storage memory is preferentially an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) but may also be a RAM (Random Access Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), a FLASH-EPROM or any other memory chip or cartridge.
Martinell, Amanda, Dumas, Antoine, Gouverneur, Guillaume, Glavatskaya, Yulia
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